60’s Band of the Week #7: The Action

17 Dec

Being home has many benefits. One of these benefits is that my oversized binder full of various 60’s bands is within hand’s reach. What does that mean for you? Well, if you have ignored the title of the post I will enlighten you. The 60’s Band of the Week section that has been completely disregarded since August is back; at least until I go back to school in late January. The band that will begin this glorious return is a group whose talent never produced much success. There are a lot of 60’s bands that unfortunately fell into that trap, but, like The Action, their skill was ultimately realized in the release of old material in best hits collections.

Band: The Action

Origin: Kentish Town, North London, England

Genre: British Beat Pop and Blue-Eyed Soul

Founded: 1963-1969

Original Line-Up:

– Reg King (Lead Vocals)

– Peter Watson (Guitar)

–   Alan ‘Bam’ King (Lead Guitar and Vocals)

–   Mike ‘Ace’ Evans (Bass Guitar and Vocals)

–   Roger Powell (Drums)

Name: After being formed under the obvious title of The Boys, the band decided it would be better to establish some creativity and rename the band The Action.

History: Most bands are judged on records sold, the market that surrounds them, and other misguided labels for success. This is unfortunate because there are many bands out there that suffer from, what I would like to coin Thomas Jones syndrome. Thomas Jones, the current running back for The New York Jets, puts up tremendous numbers and has an incredible work ethic, but, due to some odd reason he continues to live as the personal embodiment of Rodney Dangerfield’s “No Respect.” Yes, I understand I use Dangerfield a lot in these type of discussions and I believe it is only because I am impressed at my own attempts at witty humor, but, honestly, Jones and bands that are the like of The Action are often disrespected by most of the music community. How so? Nobody knows of them even if their work is far better than most commercially succesful bands (or running backs for that matter). Let’s look at a little Action history.

After forming they quickly signed to George Martin’s Parlophone Records and released a few singles that saw good reviews by critics, but miserable sales. Some bad management and disappointment eventually led to their disposal by Parlophone and the eventual leaving of original members. The new band transformed and became psychedelic and then folky, abandoning the soul-rock that was rooted in the incredible voice of King and the scene they once played in. The question remaining is simply what happened.

They were an English band in the Mod scene playing with bands like The Who, who obviously went on to bigger and better things (You see what I did there?). They experienced the band nightlife in London and they often played to sold out crowds. Heck, Mike Evans was good friends with Keith Moon and both respected each others work. Evans tells a story of the first time he saw Reg King perform. “I remember the first time I heard him sing, in a pub in Kentish Town. I went there with Keith Moon. Reg was singing “Stand by Me” and I thought, Yeah. Later Keith sat in on drums and proceeded to smash them up much to the resident drummer’s horror.” (Thanks to ready-steady-go.org.uk).

The man behind the mic Reg King was the power behind the band. While King did not provide some of the odd antics (KEITH MOON) that defined this musical era, he was the definition of blue-eyed soul. The man could, and still can sing his heart out and this is generally something that makes a good band. So, what happened? My guess is that they were simply overshadowed (maybe not for reasonable reasons) in a music time that saw the rise of more flamboyant bands, who, while displaying equal talents still provided more marketable music that sold in both London and in the States. These are the bands that made it, not ones like The Action. But, luckily, recordings still exist and albums have been cut with them which brings me to my next point…

Best Album:

Action Packed released in 2001 is a great collection of old singles and good songs. Check it out here: http://www.amazon.com/Action-Packed/dp/B000058A1G/ref=pd_sim_m_1 Another great collection is Rolled Gold.

Did You Know:

Phil Collins (of Genesis and solo fame) has frequently said that The Action was one of his favorite bands and in 2000 when he played with the reunited band he remarked it was like played with the Beatles.

Song of the Day #70: “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother,” by The Hollies

16 Dec

       I am profiling this Hollies song for two reasons today. The Binghamton chapter of Delta Sigma Phi celebrates this classic as our Fraternity song because of its strong emphasis on sweet brotherhood. So, for all of my Fraternity brothers out there, good luck on the rest of your finals and get home in one piece.

       The second reason I am putting this song up is because just recently the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame announced the 2010 inductees and on the prestigious list amidst performers like Abba and The Stooges was the small English rock group known for their vocal harmonies over 40 years ago. The Hollies, where Graham Nash, the Nash in your Crosby,Stills and Young, resided until December of 1968, hit major pop success in the 60’s and have never officially broken up. But, I think it would be wise to talk about the band within the year span of say 1963-1969.

      The band, whose name comes from the bands admiration of Buddy Holly (No Duh!), first signed with Parlophone in 1963. There, they became record label mates with that band the Beatles (I think you may have heard of them) and started releasing the first wave of the British pop invasion through United States radio airwaves. Their full-out attack on the United States media and on the UK’s music charts, saw the Hollies supplant numerous bands to take their place as one of the top dozen bands in the UK pop scene. You see this is the only type of war that I could see necessary, musical competition and battling up the charts and onto radios. For that music war’s sake I would never want to see peace.

     The Hollies kept trucking on with hit after hit until Graham Nash left citing various creative differences and a disgust for the pop grip that seemed to have wrapped around him. After Nash, however, the band may have released their most beautiful hit, “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother.” The 1969 ballad written by Bobby Scott and Bob Russell reached #3 in the UK and #7 in The United States. The song is a simple ode to brotherhood, a melodic adventure into a lyric that will stand true forever. The vocal harmonies are right on target and the piano is played to perfection.

Little Trivia: Do you know who played piano on this song for The Hollies?

Answer: Here is a clue, he is flamboyant and he sings a song promoting a weekend night for fighting. You guessed it! Elton John

Court Polls: Response (Eiffel 65)

15 Dec

If you are an electronic Italian dance group and you are nominated for a Grammy you know you have done well. Eiffel 65, whose name spawned from a random computer program and a portion of a phone number, gained this nomination honor at the 2001 Grammy Awards for their defining pop hit and one-hit wonder “I’m Blue.” A song that has become a perpetual mind-boggler for the age group that was 10-30 when the song was released in 1999. Trust me, if I say I’m Blue the involuntary response is da ba dee da ba die.

First, let me begin my defense with the song’s success. The song reached #1 in many countries including Ireland, Spain, the United Kingdom, France and da ba dee da ba die (which I will now use in place of et cetera). The success was astronomical and was never seen again by the group. It would seem the only person to not like the song was a magazine. Rolling Stone magazine wrote that the song “blends Cher-esque vocoder vocals, trance-lite synth riffs, unabashed Eurodisco beats and a baby-babble chorus so infantile it makes the Teletubbies sound like Shakespeare.” It also has made it #14 on their list of most annoying songs. Yeah, Rolling Stone writer, all the flowery language and hyphenated comparisons are nice and all but I think you forgot the pleasure of simplicity. The song is fun, catchy and absurd. The lyric is nonsensical but gets stuck in your head like a parasite and, guess what, it will never leave. I still hear this song and feel the need to sing along. I live in a blue house with a blue window. It is impossible not to sing along. This is the reason that it is the biggest one-hit wonder of the last decade. It is quirky, but humorous, catchy, but also a good song. It is a dance beat mixed with a recognizable lyric. It is just a good song that is still liked and played today. And, Eiffel 65, can listen to it and smile because they never released anything of this magnitude again.

Court Links: The Kinks and CD Release

14 Dec

   I am home. The long semester that saw endless reading and a strenuous internships cause me stress is finished and with its end came my annual trip home for the holidays. It feels just like yesterday when I was telling you readers that the content on the blog may shorten because of the semester’s beginning in August. Well, I can say confidently that Anthony, Josh, Amanda, and myself trucked through our busy schedules to provide you musical content because it is just what we love to do. And, after school ends for them in the next few days (I finished first…haha) I can promise you that posting will become more frequent and some new sections may even be added. But, for now we will stay with our regular monday schedule and I will provide you with some links of interest

    The Kinks. Anybody who is a fan of Ray Davies knows that his brand of rock n’ roll is both enjoyable and definitely skilled. Yet, what he has lacked for the last 13 years was the presence of his brother Dave (who suffered a stroke in 2004). But, now, after the long hiatus there are talks of a small reunion between the brothers. Read about it here: http://www.nme.com/news/the-kinks/48860

CD Release Tuesday, December 15

Fall Be Kind [EP] – Animal Collective

    Animal Collective, the odd psychedelic band hailing from Baltimore, Maryland, is releasing five tracks on their new EP. The band is certainly quirky but their interesting blend of psychedelia has elevated them to cult status and this has led them to receive a ton of attention from countless college students. Check them out!

Artist of Interest (Bands at Bauska Castle): Eddie Cochran

12 Dec

Usually today I would be posting a response to the court poll but I thought I would let it sit until monday because it only has five votes so far. Vote if you would like; I want to know who you believe was the top one-hit wonder of this last decade. So, since I am letting that brew, I want to let you in on some knowledge about a consummate performer who excited crowds and charter numerous hits before his horrible untimely death at the age of 21.

Eddie Cochran knew how to entertain a crowd with his musical talent. We are nearing the 50th anniversary of his death but the videos we have of him show a vivacious performer with tremendous spirit and skill. Watch this video of “C’mon Everybody” and you will see what I am talking about: http://www.fark.com/cgi/vidplayer.pl?IDLink=4848293

The song he is most known for is “Summertime Blues” which peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in 1958. The song has been covered by such bands as “The Beach Boys,” “Blue Cheer,” “The Who” and even “T-Rex” (the glam rock extraordinaire who will figure into this post in a bit).

Yet, the spring blues were his downfall. On April 16, 1960, while traveling in the United Kingdom with songwriter Sharon Sheeley and singer Gene Vincent, a taxi being recklessly driven by George Martin (not the Beatles producer) crashed into a lamp-post jettisoning Cochran from the windshield. He died later the next day from head injuries. The car and other belongings, including Cochran’s famous Gretsch guitar were impounded at a local police station. Here is when things begin to get wierd. This guitar (while we may want to call devil’s play-thing) was picked up by a police officer named David Harman, who would later become known as Dave Dee of the band Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich. Harman learned how to play guitar on this Gretsch and would seem to be the only one to break its curse. Earlier in the tour, before Cochran’s death, his guitar had been carried to the car for Cochran by a young fan named Mark Field who would later become known as T-Rex. See how things are starting to take shape. Now, let’s test some music knowledge. T-Rex (otherwise known as Marc Bolan) died just two weeks before his 30th birthday. How did it happen?

Well, if you are just perceptive you may have gotten it. Bolan never learned to drive because of a fear of premature death, but, while riding in a Purple Mini with Gloria Jones, an American singer and songwriter, Jones crashed the car into a tree killing Bolan instantly. And, the legend of the killer Gretsch lives on. It is a shame when musicians with such talent die young but one must realize this is a reality that all face, not just the musically inclined.

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